SP 242 Integrated Management of Non-Native Plants in Natural Areas of Florida1 Stephen F. Enloe, Ken Langeland, Jason Ferrell, Brent Sellers, and Greg MacDonald2 Introduction Regardless of how they arrived, these 1,400+ non-native plants grew so well in Florida that they established and Florida’s natural areas encompass an incredible diversity reproduced on their own and spread into natural areas. of native plants and animals and provide a wide array of Out of these 1,400+ species, approximately 165 (11%) are ecosystem services that benefit Florida greatly. Within the considered invasive and may disrupt ecosystem services state, there are almost ten million acres of local, state, and vital to the integrity of Florida natural areas (FLEPPC federal public lands currently managed as natural areas for 2017). Among these, approximately 100 species require conservation. While natural areas are conservation lands aggressive management. that have been set aside for the purpose of preserving (or restoring) native plant and animal communities, they do Management of invasive vegetation in natural areas require active management. One of the greatest manage- requires control methods that will minimize damage to ment issues in natural areas is invasive plants. Invasive non-target vegetation and soil. This need for caution often plants are species that are not native to the ecosystem under necessitates more time and effort than weed management consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to in agricultural, industrial, or right-of-way settings does. cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human Certain types of vegetation, such as woody or sprawling health. Invasive plants represent a subset of non-native vegetation, may require removal of standing plant material plants that have been introduced into Florida. Of the even after they have been killed if the presence of standing approximately 4,798 plant species growing without cultiva- material increases fire hazard, reduces aesthetic appeal, tion in Florida, 31% are non-native (Wunderlin et al. 2018). or has the potential to cause harm as it decays and falls. Many of these non-native plants were originally introduced Control methods include cultural, preventative, manual, as garden ornamentals, agricultural crops, forages, or soil and mechanical removal, biological control, physical stabilizers. Others were accidentally introduced as con- controls, and herbicides. Generally, these tools are utilized taminants of seed or as hitchhikers on animals or materials. as part of a comprehensive management plan that considers 1. This document is SP 242, one of a series of the Agronomy Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date January 1997. Revised July 2018. The original document was prepared in cooperation with the Metropolitan Dade County Park and Recreation Department, Natural Areas Management, and the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. 2. Stephen F. Enloe, associate professor; Ken Langeland, professor emeritus; Jason Ferrell, professor, Agronomy Department, UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants; Brent Sellers, professor, Agronomy Department, UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research and Education Center; and Greg MacDonald, professor, Agronomy Department, UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611. The use of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. UF/IFAS does not guarantee or warranty the products named, and references to them in this publication do not signify our approval to the exclusion of other products of suitable composition. All chemicals should be used in accordance with directions on the manufacturer’s label. Use pesticides safely. Read and follow directions on the manufacturer’s label. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension office. U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. a wide range of issues to control invasive plants and protect Plant species included in this publication are not limited the native plants of a given natural area. These tools are not to either of these lists. They are included because they have silver bullets and cannot be expected to solve invasive plant warranted control measures in at least one natural area problems with a one-time shot. Eradication, which is the in the state and should be viewed as potentially invasive complete elimination of all living propagules of a species, is in other natural areas. Some of the plants are still used in extremely difficult and often infeasible for well-established landscaping and sold in the nursery industry. invasive plants. Without a clear management plan and long-term commitment, most single invasive plant control Mention of species in this publication does not necessarily efforts result in short-lived success. mean UF/IFAS recommends limitation of their use. The UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida’s This publication provides land managers in Florida with Natural Areas is used by UF/IFAS to evaluate the invasive- current methods used to manage non-native plants. It does ness of non-native plants in Florida relative to UF/IFAS not address identification of plant species. For information recommendations. The results of this assessment can on identification and recognition of many invasive plant be viewed on the UF/IFAS Assessment website: https:// species, consult Identification and Biology of Nonnative assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/. The UF/IFAS assessment is not Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas, 2nd Ed. by K. A. Langeland, regulatory. However, all UF/IFAS employees are required H. M. Cherry, C. M. McCormick, and K. A. Craddock to follow the results of the assessment when making plant Burks (2008), which is available from the UF/IFAS Exten- species recommendations. sion Bookstore (http://ifasbooks.ifas.ufl.edu). Finally, the removal of vegetation in certain areas such Regulatory Agencies, Permits, as public waters and wetlands is regulated by state and local agencies. A permit may be required. For questions Plant Lists, and the UF/IFAS regarding permits to control vegetation in public waters, Assessment please visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Invasive Plant Management Section website: There has been much confusion over the legal ramifications http://www.myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/invasive-plants/. of listing certain plants as invasive. The best example of this The FWC Invasive Plant Management Section is the lead is the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) Invasive agency in Florida responsible for coordinating and funding Plant List. FLEPPC is a nonprofit professional organiza- two statewide programs that control invasive upland and tion founded in 1984 to increase public awareness of the aquatic plants on public conservation lands and waterways significant threat that non-native invasive plant species throughout the state. The agency also ensures that pose to native species, communities, and ecosystems, and beneficial native aquatic plants in Florida’s ponds, lakes, to develop integrated management and control strategies to and rivers are protected through permitting programs and halt the spread of exotic species in natural areas. FLEPPC funding of research to find more cost-effective management maintains a list of plant species considered by a committee techniques. of botanists, ecologists, and land managers to be invasive in Florida. This list is available on the FLEPPC website (http:// For regulatory questions regarding vegetation control in www.fleppc.org). The purpose of the FLEPPC list is to alert wetlands, contact the Water Management District (WMD) land managers to plant species that have demonstrated in which you are located. These can be found at the invasiveness in Florida. However, the list does not have Florida Department of Environmental Protection website: statutory authority. https://floridadep.gov/water-policy/water-policy/content/ water-management-districts. Plants that are legally regulated by statute are listed on the Florida Noxious Weed List, which can be found on Acknowledgements the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website (http://www.freshfromflorida.com/ The following individuals have provided information for Divisions-Offices/Plant-Industry/Bureaus-and-Services/ this or previous editions of Integrated Management of Bureau-of-Entomology-Nematology-Plant-Pathology/ Nonnative Plants in Natural Areas of Florida: Mike Bodle, Botany/Noxious-Weeds). There may also be local, county, Jim Burney, Mathew Cole, Rodell Collins, Jim Cuda, or city ordinances regarding certain plants, but they are Scott Ditmarsen, Jim Duquesnel, Roger Hammer, Dallas beyond the scope of this publication. Hazelton, Jeff Hutchinson, Greg Jubinsky, Chris Key, Bill Kline, Mike Link, Mark Ludlow, Joe Maguire, Chris Marble, Integrated